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Christmas Eve or Noche Buena in La Antigua Guatemala is celebrated by staying up all night burning firecrackers and fireworks, eating tamales, turkey, or roasted pork leg, and drinking real fruit punch or hot real chocolate, visiting family, friends and neighbors for the respective abrazo de Noche Buena and buenos deseos (Christmas Eve hugs and best wishes); many even go to midnight mass. At midnight the presents under the Christmas tree, around the nacimiento (nativity scene), are opened and everyone laughs and hugs indiscriminately everyone around.

These celebrations rate the highest on the nostalgic memory scale; everyone who is living abroad wishes to be in Guatemala for this season and for this night in particular.

A todos los chapines en el extranjero, y en especial a mi familia, les envío mis más sinceros abrazos de Noche Buena y mis mejores deseos. Les prometo que por ustedes, este día no haré dieta alguna. ¡Qué tengan unas felices fiestas!

Best wishes and Noche Buena hugs to all the visitors to La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo.

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If you are a tourist just passing through for a couple days you are probably not one to find time to discover and appreciate the stunning view from Cerro de la Cruz. But, locals, ex-pats, Spanish students and the traveler who kicks off his shoes and stays awhile eventually find themselves huffing up the winding road to Cerro Santo Domingo. I wonder if the lookout point has been dubbed “make-out point.” This couple is certainly enjoying the ambience of the hilltop vista. Can’t say I blame them…

text and photo by Laura McNamara.

Do you really want a long name, here’s one: “Parroquia San Pedro Apostol, San Juan Bautista of San Pedro Las Huertas, La Antigua Guatemala”

If you remember at least one of the photos of the former San Pedro Apostol Church, you may say, “wait it a minute, this is not the same church, is it?”

Well, it is after over 600,000 Quetzales (US$80,000) have been spent in restoration works and a new paint job. You could say that’s not much, really, for the amazing new facelift and restoration. Well, you know how atmospheric temperature is now given in two forms: what the thermometer reads and in parenthesis (what is feels like). Okay, US$80,000 feels like half a million bucks in Guatemala; that’s how you explain the complete transformation.

This amount does not include the spot lights system and the paint job which was donated by the Novella Foundation (one of the 20 wealthy families of Guatemala). This amount does not include the thousands of man-hours donated by the San Pedro Las Huertas neighbors.

You guys are so lucky, and don’t even know it. Well, that is whoever comes to see this photo tonight. See, this image is quite possibly the one of first photos taken of this church now that it’s been restored to its former glory. This church opened its doors in 1672. As a matter of fact, they were still painting the terra cotta floor tiles tonight, running against time, since tomorrow morning they will have a big procession, mass service and at 11a.m. and right after the inauguration of the new Parroquia San Pedro Apostol, San Juan Bautista of San Pedro Las Huertas, La Antigua Guatemala. You are also lucky because I am making available this photo as a computer wallpaper for your workstation at 1600×1200 pixels.

Next week, it’s going to be the San Pedro Las Huertas Town Fair.

Today, however, was a-wonderful-first-day of the Summer season and even though we’ve been having lots of rains and floods lately, today was a gorgeous dry day with the most amazing light. To me, the quality of days is measured by the quality of light; what can I say. With this nice weather, I felt like taking a walk to the park for un atolito. I am so glad I did and that I took my camera with me.

With the atol de habas in my hand, I walk a few steps towards a gathering of men, all standing up and enjoying the beauty of their newly restored church. I shook the atol while exchanging a few words with these proud neighbors. That’s how I found out how much they have spent in the restoration; that Q400,000 of it was donated by the only factory in town (Sacos Agroindustriales); that paint job and spot lights system was donated by the Novella Foundation; that 10 construction workers were hired since January and that almost all neighbors were required to help with their own labor or donate money towards the restoration; that floors and ceiling were repaired; that tomorrow they will be having a procession, mass and inauguration, that the name of this church is very long and confusing; that these people are very nice and friendly (my neighbors, you know). All of that transpired while I shook my atol to cool it down.

That short while with the neighbors of San Pedro Las Huertas and the dozen photos I took are my highlight for the week: what a delightful time!

If you would like to see other photos with the former San Pedro Apostol Church in San Pedro Las Huertas, check out the following entries:

1. Guatemalan Fair: The Ferris Wheel
2. Guatemalan Fair: The Church and its Saint
3. Altar Inside San Pedro Las Huertas Church
4. Mobile Library Chicken Bus
5. San Pedro Las Huertas Cathedral
6. Bell ringer
7. Guatemalan Women & Killer’s Paradise

You can also browse the over 40 entries about San Pedro Las Huertas. Boy, I need to turn San Pedro Las Huertas into its own category; don’t you think so?

P.S. Today’s entry is number 796… counting up to 800 pages in La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo.

Well, it seems like the color purple will be with us for a while longer. The flowers above are known colloquially as Flores de papel (paper flowers) because their petals are so dried that they look like if they were made from paper. I looked up the flower in the Guateflora book, but I did not find it there, so I can not help you with scientific name. Perhaps, some of the other visitors know its scientific name and can share it with us, anyone?

Does one have the right to change his/her mind? I ask because the first time I posted the use of wood as fuel, I was against it. By the second time I showed a photo of wood being used as fuel, I had learnt that not all instances of the use of wood as fuel were bad from an article that appeared in National Geographic en español. Recently, I learned about the benefits of finding renewable sources of fuel, like biodiesel (Can you see an entry on Biodiesel coming up pretty soon?). So, I can change my mind, right?

Well, we are not going to talk about wood as fuel anyway. No sir, no. We actually are going to talk about the colonial measurements which are still in use the 21st Century Guatemala. How you may ask yourself we moved from renewable fuel sources to colonial measurements in the same photo of a truck full of wood logs? Easy, my friends, that’s how easy it can be done. Let me explain. See, the photo above is about fuel home delivery and the transaction that occurred there. The amount of wood missing from the truck, which was delivered to the lady in delantal (apron) is a colonial measurement known as una tarea (one workload). Workload or tarea (also known as homework) is the best word I can think of to translate the word tarea. The lady in the apron bought una tarea of wood logs, which, she said, was enough fuel for two weeks for her household. She paid Q180/US$24 for una tarea of wood logs.

Other colonial measurements still in use in present-day Guatemala are: Una mano (one hand or five of anything), un manojo (a bunch), una libra (a pound; this one may hurt many of you, but for sure, the civilized world now uses the kilo), una picopada (a truckload), una fila de frances (a row of french rolls), una arroba (@ or 25 pounds) un quintal (100 pounds), una cuerda (a cord equals 1/6 of city block), una medida (a measurement of whatever fits inside a small can or basket), una penca de banano (that’s a banana cluster), et-cetera or basically that’s what I can remember right now. I am sure the Guatemalans visitors will share other colonial measurements being used in Guatemala. There was a recent article about colonial measurement in Prensa Libre’s Revista Domingo under the title of Costumbres que pesan {ñ}.

Semana Santa in Guatemala City Side Note: For those of you who did not have enough Holy Week photos, here is a link to Slide Show of Holy Week photos in Guatemala City by the Guatemalan photojournalist James Rodrí­guez of MiMundo.Org. If you have the time, I recommend his photo stream at Flickr and his website very highly.

One final post scriptum: Today’s entry can be also called the Boeing 707. Do you know why?

A simple shot to commemorate the sunshine, the purple, the ever-present spring and to revive the Guateflora series. This photo was taken at my favorite green house: Vivero La Escalonia.

I wish everyone an easy starting week!

P.S. I forgot to mention that we went over 700 entries six days ago; Today’s photo is the 706 consecutive page posted at La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo. No wonder I’m so tired.

This old man and the band are the tail of the procession. There goes Semana Santa 2008… we are at end of the Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala. Just one more day!

To answer Sara’s question about where the money collected through the sale of the turns at carrying the float go? Almost one third goes to the band. I heard that the San Felipe Church processional Band charges Q150,000 (close to US$20,000) per procession and La Merced Church processional band about Q125,000. I imagine some of the money goes to the church who lends the saint figures for the processions. Some money goes to the organization, the creation of the scenes above the floats which are never the same and lastly for maintenance.

If you would like to see a video clip of a processional band playing, check out last year entry Weekend Procession in the Lent Season. Processional musician play sorrowful tunes is another entry where you can also see a processional band.

Literary Introspection Side Note: Much of what I am today and the decisions I made that took me to La Antigua Guatemala were inspired or influenced in part by Milan Kundera’s writings. Through the reading of several of Milan Kundera‘s novels, especially Life is Elsewhere, Laughable Loves, The Farewell Party, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Immortality and Identity, I begun to question myself about life, lifestyles and what I wanted out of the day. Life is a jigsaw puzzle made up from moments (days) and where and with whom you spend those moments shapes the picture you see at the end. Honestly, I do not know if it is better to live in the ‘first world’ with a first-world salary, first-world commodities and such or to live here in the south or third world with all the complications and dangers that decision entails. I don’t know about the first/third world euphemisms either. However, I do know that a different life or lifestyle is possible outside the safety net. There are other ways to be human and to experience unusual traditions and celebrations. There is a huge difference between Spring Break, Easter, Holy Week and Semana Santa as we live it in La Antigua Guatemala for sure. To each its own. For the moment, I’m just happy to be able to take ordinary snapshots from my daily comings-and-goings and to be able to share them with YOU! I hope you enjoy them too!?

The side note is dedicated to my dear epistolary friend Carmen.

That is right, Semana Santa in Guatemala is an equal opportunity celebration. Sure, cucuruchos take the majority of the clicks of cameras and most of the video recorded, but children, women and dogs have a place in the Holy Week celebrations. Women’s float or andas are a bit smaller and carry virgins or angels most of the time.

Right about now, you may be asking yourself, what are processions anyway and what do they represent? Well processions are representations of the the last days of Jesus Christ. Processions represent the funeral march of Jesus Christ. Processions in Guatemala also represent a penitent act.

Here is the background information about La Dolorosa Procession, taken from last year entry:

La Dolorosa or The Sorrowful Mother is the biblical figure of the sorrowful mother Mary which follows Jesus in his way to his crucifixion. This act is represented by a smaller anda (long carved wooden flatbed image-carrying float [*]) —carrying the effigy of sorrowful Mother Mary and other female biblical representations— which is hauled exclusively by women who mostly dress in black or white as this is the appropriate dress code for a funeral. Jesus’ funeral.

Gringos are now an integral part of La Antigua Guatemala and therefore many of them participate of the preparations of the world famous alfombras de Semana Santa (Holy Week carpets) made from colorful sawdust, flowers, fruits, and anything the imagination allows.

From this shot, I particularly like the framing of the tourist with his backpack before he pulled his camera to shoot the making of the carpet. The background is the San Francisco El Grande Church, home to the remains of Santo Hermano Pedro de Betancourt (Guatemala’s only ‘Oficial’ Saint).

I hope you are enjoying the behind the scenes series of the Semana Santa in La Antigua Guatemala. Remember that you can visit my friends Nelo’s web site EnAntigua.com for an overview of huge processions.

Just like the Christmas Season comes with its own set of smells, flavors and color palette, so does the Holy Week celebrations. I can bring to you still photos, slide shows, video clips and sounds. But I can not bring you the smells. Like I said back in the Virgin of Guadalupe Day, … the incredible power of the sense of smell can detonate nostalgic memories… if only the smells could be seized like Patrick Süskind suggested in his masterpiece Das Parfum (Perfume). How could one go about imprisoning the mixture of the smells of copal incense, corozo palms, fireworks, pine needles, moisten saw dust, fresh tropical fruits, palm flower arrangements and sweat into a digital format readily available to download onto your own computer?

Only in Star Trek that is possible… we must wait for the future to arrive. In the mean time, we wave good bye to Arthur C. Clarke as we thank him for allowing us to dream of the future. Until the future arrives, you must pack your bags and head down south where you can be free!

I did want to say a thing about it; just show the pictures and don’t even mention it; that was my plan. But no, Jerry T gave me away; sort of a behind the scenes of the Holy Week, he said. See the problem with showing pictures of Semana Santa year after year is that you tend to repeat yourself. I do not want to do that, not if I can help it. So if last year I presented the normal approach to the Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala, this year it has to be different.

Find a new angle always; that is my goal for this site. This was my goal since day 1. What good would it be if I just take the same shots that everybody else is doing. Because of how I earn my living, I get to see thousands of images of La Antigua Guatemala. Furthermore, I follow several photo groups and La Antigua Guatemala is among the most often photographed places in Guatemala. It is virtually impossible not to take the same shot that somebody else already did. And that’s the challenge!

So much mumble jumble to present the underneath view of a Holy Week float in one of the villages of La Antigua Guatemala. Andas (floats) are not only the affair of cucuruchos, women also participate; and sometimes even chuchos (street dogs) get involved in the penitent act of carrying the heavy float!

Purple or violet is the color of Lent and the Holy Week. Cucuruchos wear their cone-head purple dress as a sign of penitence. Not only Cucuruchos have to observe penitence for the Lent (Cuaresma) and the Holy Week (Semana Santa), but they also have to pay if they want to get a chance to carry the enormous floats, known here as andas. According to my good friend Nelo, each turn costs around Q60 (around US$8), there are around 60 turns and each float has somewhere between 80 and 100 spaces for the Cucuruchos. That’s close to Q290,000 (US$38,000) per procession. Boy oh boy, there’s big money to be made with each procession. Now if only they didn’t have to spend the money… but that’s another day’s story!

By the way, you should visit my dear friend Nelo’s web site EnAntigua.com for all the photos of all the processions of Lent and the Holy Week since 2001. Be prepare, there are over a thousand images of Semana Santa and Cueresma at his web site.

You can also browse the Holy Week category for La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo for more background information and photos about the Semana Santa and Cuaresma in La Antigua.

Blame it on Carmen… Yes, it was Carmen who turned me onto this catchy song which is used as the soundtrack intro to Weeds. Then, thanks to Youtube I found a Spanish version of Little Boxes by Victor Jara which goes by the name of Las Casitas del Barrio Alto; boy! what a magnificent version that is.

Anyhow, what’s got Little boxes to do with today’s entry. Well, once you listen to Little boxes or Las Casitas del Barrio Alto, you’d know it is impossible to get them out of your head. In a recent trip to México over the weekend we took the new road Carretera 14 to reach the highway that takes us to Southeast México. Carretera 14 is part of the road which will circumvent La Antigua Guatemala and some of the villages. In other words, Carretera 14 is the backbone for what will be the periférico around La Antigua Guatemala. Carretera 14 is also one the most beautiful stretches of road in Guatemala. From Carretera 14 you also get this outstanding view of the little gray boxes of Ciudad Vieja.

How can 3 kilometers (2 miles) make such a difference between a gorgeously and enchanting city like La Antigua Guatemala, full of color, and the ugly square gray boxes of Ciudad Vieja?

I am sure Malvina Reynolds would have not been inspired to write Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky-tacky, Little boxes, little boxes, Little boxes, all the same. There’s a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one. And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky… (the whole lyrics).

Come on, just because you’re dead it doesn’t mean you can not have access to good coffee. This coffee field is right behind the San Lázaro Cemetery in La Antigua Guatemala. This photo was taken from this crypts in San Lázaro cemetery.

You do remember the series about the San Lazaro Cemetery, right?.

So what makes La Antigua Guatemala the best coffee in the world? To get the best cup of coffee of the world, one must start with the right altitude; somewhere above 1,500 meters above the sea level; add lots of fertile volcanic soil; mix in plenty of rain (about six months); stable temperate weather (about 76˚ F / 25˚ C); once you have the above, make sure you plant the best possible Arabica coffee.

Below you can read a summary of the whole process by Eve Andersson and if you visit her web site you can also see pictures describing every single stage.

Growing
The plants start out in pots for the first couple years of their lives, then they’re transported to high-altitude fields where they grow in the shade of large [Gravilea] trees that let just the right amount of sunlight through.

Processing
The beans fruits are picked, pulped, washed, dried, sorted by size, sorted by density, hand sorted for defects, roasted, and packaged.

Tasting
This is the best part. It’s like a wine tasting; you take a sip and then spit it out. The high-altitude Arabica coffee grown in [La] Antigua [Guatemala] was by far the best coffee.

Come back tomorrow to see a coffee plantation for the dead!

Breaking News Side Note:
MiPeriódico supplement of the Guatemalan Newspaper elPeriódico [ñ] is covering the La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo in their Sunday edition for March 2nd, 2008. If you want to see what pictures they chose to highlight and to read the introductory text (if you can read Spanish), you can visit them online at MiPeriódico supplement or purchase the Sunday edition of elPeriódico.